Underwater boat



J. A. ARCHIBALD.

UNDERWATER BOAT. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 12, 1918.

Patented Aug. 3, 1920.

3 SHEETSSHEET 1.

vwewiioz J. A. ARCHIBALD.

UNDERWATER BOAT.

APPLICATION FILED NOV-12.4918.

Patented Aug. 3, 1920..

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

0 g L I Qw 0 mwwiioz J a'ZZeZZji J. A. ARCHIBALD.

UNDERWATER BOAT.

- APPLICATION FILED NOV-12;]918- 1,348,686. Patented Aug. 3, 1920.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

. JOHN A. ARGHIBALD, 1F SOUTH PEKIN, ILLINOIS.

UNDERWATER BOAT.

Application filed November 12, 1918.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN A. AROHIBALD, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at South Pekin, in the county of Tazewell and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Underwater Boats, of which the following is a specification.

The object of the invention is to provide an under sea or submersible boat having improved means for securing a positive elevation and depression thereof, designed for use either independently of or in cooperation with means for that purpose now in com- .mon use involving the ballast tank or water chambers adapted to be filled or emptied by means of pumps or otherwise to vary the specific gravity of the vessel and thus produce the submersion or the return thereof to the surface of the water.

Further objects and advantages will appear in the course of the following description of the essential principles of a preferred embodiment of the invention, it being understood that changes in form, proportion and details may be resorted to, within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit thereof.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of a submersible craft constructed in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal vertical sectional view.

Fig. 4 is a central horizontal sectional view.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view of that part of the vessel constituting the ballast tank.

Fig. 6 is a central transverse sectional view.

Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional detail showing one of the depressing planes and the guide therefor.

Essentially the invention resides in providing the hull 10 of the craft, preferably Specification of Letters Patent.

adjacent to its bow or forward end, with' elevating and depressing blades or wings 11 and 12, normally housed within the hull and adapted to be extended laterally therefrom in pairs through guides 13 and 14 which are respectively inclined upwardly and clown- Patented Aug. 3, 1920.

Serial No. 262,231.

equal extension of both so that any tendency to cause a roll or lateral inclination of the craft may be avoided, and while it is obvious that various means for securing this object may be employed, it will be sufficient for the illustrative purposes herein to show the stems 15 and 16 which formsupports as well as slide bearings for the operating rod or bar 18, the latter carrying the plane or blade operating elements 18 eachconsisting of a pair of diverging arms 17 (the one pair diverging toward the fore and the other toward the aft) which slidably engage the inner extremities of arms passing slidably through the guides and connecting with the elevating and depressing blades or rings 11 .and 12. The depressing wings or blades are hingedly or pivotally mounted at one end of their respective guides and likewise the elevating wings or blades are similarly mounted, their pivotal connections, however, being positioned o positely with respect to those of the depressing blades. Obviously the operating structure for the said blades makes for the withdrawal of the elevating blades within their guides when the depressing blades are extended and vice versa, a neutral position, however, being obtainable wherein both sets of blades project a minimum or negligible distance. The rod or bar 18 carries at the end remote from that which effects operative .connection with the blades a handle 18" situated conveniently for the operator of the craft.

The lateral steering rudder 19 is preferably arranged at the bow or forward end of the craft for operation from within the hull, as in the ordinary practice by any ap )roved means, and as the craft is designed espe cially for one man use and either rapid pleasure cruising, or reconnoitering or scouting work, the means for controlling the positions of the rudder should be of equal accessibility with the above described means for operating the elevating and depressing blades or planes; that is, it should be convenient to the operator and located in that portion of the boat adjacent to the conning tower 20 which is preferably of glass or other transparent material or provided with lenses or lanterns through which the ob- The illustrated rudder control comprises a rotatably mounted transversely disposed shaft 34 journaled in supports 35 and rotated by means of a hand wheel 32, drums 31 being carried by the shaft on opposite sides of the hand wheel and operatively connected to the rudder by cables 28 and 29 which traverse the two drums in reverse directions. Obviously the rotation of the hand wheel will serve to unwind one cable while win-ding up the other, thereby permitting enough slack on one side to permit the rudder to swing due to the tension of the cable on the other side.

.To the end that the elevating and depressing mechanisms as described may be supplemented in their operation by gravity, variable at the will of the operator, a ballast tank 21 may be disposed at the bottom of or in any desired or preferred position relative to the interior of the hull with suitable fore and aft inlet and exhaust passages 22 and 22. Fore and aft movable heads 23 and 2 are carried in the ballast tank and each is connected with a slidably mounted rack bar, the two bars 25 and 26 being disposed with their toothed edges opposite each other so as to operatively engage on diametrically opposite sides the pinion 27 mounted at the lower extremity of a vertically disposed shaft operated by means of a hand wheel 28. Obviously the turning of the hand wheel 28 in one direction will serve to move the heads 23 and 24: toward each other with the result that the space ahead and behind the said heads may be increased, thereby providing for the entrance of a relatively great quantity of water to increase the gravity of the craft. Reversal of direction of the hand wheel 28 will serve to move the heads away from each other or respectively toward the fore and aft of the craft with the result that water in the space ahead of these heads will be'ejected to reduce the gravity of the craft.

It will be understood that by the projection of the forwardly depressed blades or planes through the guides which are provided with suitable packing means to prevent access of water to the interior of the hull, a relatively short or abrupt head-on.

submersion of the craft may be secured, and progress at the selected depth may be maintained either by modified extension of said blades or by a partial or complete charging of the ballast tank, and in the same way an abrupt rise to the surface may be produced by an extension of the upwardly inclined blades or planes, so that a rapid manipulation of the vessel, desirable particularly in maneuvering when engaged on scouting duty, may be accomplished instead of depending upon the relatively slow gravity action incident to the filling or emptying of the ballast tank as in the ordinary practice, the latter means being available and desirable in many instances by reason of its relative stability particularly in cruising for extended distances at a selected depth either with the desk awash or completely submerged. v

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A submersible craft having its hull provided in the side walls thereof with opposed guides arranged in pairs, those of one pair being inclined upwardly toward the stern and those of the other pair being inclined downwardly toward the bow, blades or planes arranged in pairs and pivotally mounted in said guides at one end for lateral extension from the sides of the hull, arms carried by said blades and projecting inwardly of the hull, and operating means for said blades whereby those inclined in one direction will be extended and the others simultaneously withdrawn into their guides.

2. A submersible craft having its hull provided in the side walls thereof vwith 0pposed guides arranged in pairs, the one pair being inclined upwardly toward the stern and the other pairinclined upwardly toward the bow, normally housed blades pivotally mounted in said guides at one end, arms projecting into the interior of the hull and connected with said blades, a longitudinally movable operating bar carried within the hull, and diverging bars carried by the latter said bar and arranged in pairs, the one pair diverging toward the stern and the other pair toward the bow, all of said bars slidably engaging the inner extremities of the said arms for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

' JOHN A. ARGHIBALD. 

